Is Rowing Good for Anxiety During Perimenopause?
Anxious during perimenopause? Rowing offers a calming, rhythmic workout that lowers cortisol and helps restore nervous system balance. Here is what to know.
Why Anxiety Spikes During Perimenopause
Anxiety is one of the most frequently reported but least expected symptoms of perimenopause. Falling oestrogen disrupts the regulation of cortisol and adrenaline, making your nervous system more reactive than usual. You might feel a constant low hum of worry, sudden waves of dread, or a racing mind that will not quiet at night. Aerobic exercise is one of the most direct ways to burn off excess stress hormones, and rowing, with its rhythmic, full-body motion, is particularly well-suited to calming an overactivated system.
The Calming Rhythm of Rowing
There is something almost meditative about a consistent rowing stroke. The catch, drive, finish, recover sequence becomes a focus anchor that occupies the mind just enough to interrupt anxious thought loops. On the water, the added sensory input of movement and nature deepens this effect. On an indoor rowing machine, pairing each stroke with a steady breathing pattern, inhale for two strokes, exhale for two, can actively engage the parasympathetic nervous system and lower your heart rate response to stress.
Cortisol, Endorphins, and the Hormonal Reset
Moderate-intensity rowing lowers cortisol while simultaneously triggering endorphin release. This combination is particularly useful during perimenopause, when cortisol tends to run high and feel-good neurotransmitters run low. Aim for sessions at a pace where you can still hold a short conversation. Pushing too hard can actually spike cortisol further, so gentler, longer sessions often work better for anxiety than intense intervals when you are in a high-stress period.
Getting the Most Out of Each Session
Consistency beats intensity when managing anxiety. Three 20 to 30 minute sessions per week at a moderate pace is a realistic and effective starting point. Warm up for five minutes at an easy pull, then settle into your rhythm. Focus on long, smooth strokes rather than fast, choppy ones. Breathing deliberately through each stroke trains your body to stay regulated. If you find a rowing club or partner, the social element adds another layer of anxiety relief.
Precautions and When to Ease Back
If your anxiety is severe or includes panic attacks, check with your GP before starting any new exercise programme. On high-anxiety days, a gentle 15-minute row at low resistance can still help without feeling overwhelming. Avoid late-evening sessions if exercise disrupts your sleep, since poor sleep tends to worsen anxiety the following day. Listen to your body and treat the session as a gift to your nervous system rather than a performance task.
Logging Your Mood to See What Works
Anxiety symptoms can feel unpredictable, which itself increases anxiety. Using PeriPlan to log your symptoms and track patterns can help you identify whether rowing on certain days correlates with calmer evenings or fewer anxious episodes. Seeing that evidence builds confidence in the routine and reinforces the habit. Over weeks, the data often tells a clearer story than memory alone.
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